


If You Let Me

by sidsaid



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Academy Awards, Academy Awards AU, Alternative Setting - Modern AU, Armani, Dressed to the nines, F/M, Golden Globes AU, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Ben Solo, Oral Sex, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo-Freeform, Romance, Semi-Public Sex, Seriously there has been some hardcore pining, Smut, Sweetness, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Valentino - Freeform, awards show, golden globes, mcqueen - Freeform, patient Rey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-13 12:45:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17488292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidsaid/pseuds/sidsaid
Summary: After going viral for almost killing Rey Niima at the 2018 Golden Globes, Ben Solo readies himself for a night of tight-lipped self-restraint by trying to avoid the woman who has been apologising for his mistake for almost a year. However, when their respective manipulative management teams sit them together, Ben’s plans quickly collapse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was looking for something funny to write and as usual, this ended up more serious and long-winded than I intended! Lol. I wish I was someone who could write 1k of story building and then 3k of boning, but alas, I am a creature of deep feeling, I guess. I HOPE YOU ENJOY.

‘Fucking Ryan Seacrest,’ Ben grumbled as he rewound the video for the twentieth time.

Poe was chuckling and noisily eating from the tub of popcorn in his arms. The floor around him was covered in the crumbs, and kernels littered the man's navy suit.

'You ever gonna stop watching that?' Poe asked behind a mouthful. 'It's been a year and you’re still not over it.’

Ben just huffed and watched the video again.

 ~

_‘Thanks Ben, good luck for tonight,’ Ryan said, his hand outstretched._

_Ben mimicked the older man’s smile, gripping his hand and shaking it tightly. ‘No problem and thanks.’_

_He looked to his left quickly to get his bearings before he began down the steps back to the red carpet and looked back up at Ryan, giving one last nod to the camera as he reached the bottom of the staircase._

_Just as he was ready to turn back, he felt his legs buckle, material pulled taught as he tripped over it, feeling a slight give before he was on the floor in the most theatrical way possible. His legs had taken the place of his head as he tumbled and dropped onto his back on the carpet. The camera caught it all—the twisting of his hips as he tried to right himself and the resulting fall._

_‘The McQueen!’ The high-pitched scream drowned out the laughter as the woman holding the end of the train dropped to her knees to look over the dress._

_Ben looked up, his face bright red while Rey Niima turned at her waist and looked down at him, her hand against her neck and surprise in her eyes._

 ~

‘You looking at the comments again?’ Poe mumbled, tossing the empty tub beside him and adjusting his ankles on the arm of the couch.

‘Why does this keep on getting retweeted?’ Ben asked incredulously. ‘It happened a year ago and they are just bringing it up again.’

Poe grinned. ‘Of course. The anniversary of your biggest fail, the world isn’t allowed to forget. We’ve got to keep your ego in check somehow, Benny-boy.’

‘Don’t call me that.’

The other man laughed again. Eventually he rolled up off the couch and sauntered over to Ben, looking over the man’s large shoulder as he re-watched the video once more.

‘Wow, she really did look beautiful that day. Good thing you didn’t ruin her dress.’ Poe said casually, watching past-Rey look down at Ben.

Ben said nothing. His grip was loose on his phone, so Poe easily slipped it from his hand and began to scroll through the comments, a mix of them having been posted last year and this year.

There was a picture, a screenshot of an Instagram of Rey a few comments down, taken the day after the awards show. _Look what he did to her!_ Was the caption. The light red marks around her clavicles were what had caused Ben’s biggest issues since that day and Poe sighed, handing the phone back to the man.

‘It would be nice if the trolls stopped making it out like you tried to kill her, though,’ Poe said, leaning against the vanity and looking down at Ben.

Ben huffed and looked into the mirror again, straightening his bowtie.

Poe waited for his response and when one didn’t come, he grinned. ‘I knew it!’

‘Knew what?’

‘Knew you liked all of those apology gifts.’

Ben glared up at him.

‘It was the puppygram, right? I loved that one. She really is too good to you.’ Poe sighed. He pulled his own cell-phone from his jacket pocket and the screen illuminated, showing a picture of Poe covered in puppies. ‘You know if you had just taken one picture with her last year at the Oscars like I suggested, this probably wouldn’t still be a thing.’

‘That’s not honest.’

Poe rolled his eyes. ‘I’m your publicist, not your priest.’

‘You’re my morality spokesperson.’

He guffawed, barely holding back his laughter. ‘I’ve not heard that one before.’

‘Would you tell her to stop?’ Ben said when Poe had settled down. He was fiddling with the cufflinks on his shirt, his eyes glancing at the envelope that sat beside him on the vanity.

Poe shrugged. ‘I’ve told Kaydel a thousand times, Ben. The woman is on a mission and I don’t think she’ll stop until you ask her to her face.’

Ben groaned, wanting to put his head in his hands, but then realising that Finn would likely kick his ass for ruining his hair and makeup.

‘You could have sent her a cease and desist.’

‘Isn’t that a bit much?’

‘Then you’ll continue to have a never-ending supply of apologies.’

Ben frowned and turned in his chair, looking around his hotel room. ‘I don’t even know why she’s apologising. It’s not like I had a great image before anyway.’

‘Being a supposed product of nepotism was probably better than being known as someone who nearly broke the neck of the ever-beloved Rey Niima.’ Poe said simply, moving back to the couch and beginning to clear up his mess. ‘Though there are several positives,’ he noted. ‘For one, it didn’t absolutely ruin your career, since you’re nominated again. Then there’s the fact that I get to be swarmed with cute baby animals.’

‘I really should tell the agency to replace you,’ Ben sighed.

Poe grinned and sat down, putting the tub on the floor and folding his hands between his spread legs. ‘You’d quickly find out how lucky you are to have me, Benny-boy.’

Ben narrowed his eyes at him once more, before finally reaching for the envelope he had left unopened.

It could have contained any number of things. Amongst the ridiculous numbers of apology gifts that Rey had been sending him for the last year, the ones that did not include kittens, puppies or food-based baskets –she had a penchant for sending protein shake gift baskets– were oftentimes peculiar or deeply personal. She’d sent at least ten books, all of which had contained a small letter detailing how she had found them and why she had picked them up in the first place. Sometimes there were just notes that offered helpful advice or inspirational quotes. Other times, and to Ben these were the strangest, were the discount coupons she would send him. Discounts for movie tickets, groceries, sometimes even coffee at Starbucks. Even the film he was currently promoting—the script had been a gift she’d sent him a mere two weeks after the previous year’s Golden Globes.

He pulled open the tab and slipped the note out along with a gift card.

‘Is that a Netflix gift card?’ Poe asked, chuckling to himself.

_Just so you don’t miss it :)_

The note was handwritten in blue on card and Ben turned it over in his hands, a stray forefinger tracing the lettering.

‘She’s probably reminding you to watch that Netflix film of hers. I think I’ve got a preview disc at the office if you want it.’

Ben didn’t reply immediately, his eyes distracted by the note and then he shook his head.

Poe smiled lightly, watching the man. ‘You know you should have spoken to her that day.’

‘I think I’d embarrassed myself enough.’

‘I stand by what I said in November.’

‘What? That she likes me?’ Ben looked up at Poe to see his publicist practically beaming.

‘She’d have to like you to send you a little piece of her every day.’

Ben considered him for a moment and then shook his head, finally standing up and adjusting his tuxedo jacket. ‘I think you’re confusing kindness for flirting.’

‘I think three hundred gifts is a little more than kindness,’ Poe muttered, before stepping forward and looking Ben over.

‘Finn come in here. We’re ready to go.’

The door swung open and Finn hurried in, his shoulders shaking in excitement. ‘Thank you for not fucking up my work as usual, Ben Solo,’ he started, skidding to a stop in front of Ben and beside Poe. He leant back, looking up into the tall man’s face and reached forward, adjusting a curl and then twisting a button.

‘How do you feel?’ Finn asked, deciding to take a turn around Ben. ‘Armani definitely becomes you.’

The dark-haired man sighed. ‘Hungry.’

Finn grinned. ‘Soon. At least this year you won’t have to stop on the carpet.’

‘How’s Rey, Finn?’ Poe decided to interrupt the flow of conversation, folding his arms and grinning up at Ben.

‘Amazing as ever,’ he answered. ‘Rose is finishing up with her. No seven-foot trains this year.’

Ben looked up at the ceiling, using this moment to tuck the note into his inner jacket pocket. ‘You guys think you’re hilarious.’

Finn shrugged innocently and then nodded his head. ‘Let’s get out of here. If you’re lucky we can stop at McDonalds, Benny-boy.’

‘Fuck off.’ Ben groaned, pushing past the two men whose life’s work was to mock him.

They followed after him, sharing conspiratorial grins and leaving the hotel suite chattering quietly between themselves. Ben marched ahead, avoiding the attention bestowed on him by being over six-foot-tall, dressed in a tux and having one of the most easily recognisable faces on the planet.

His hand touched the card in his pocket through his jacket and he swallowed nervously. It didn’t take much to convince himself that his nerves came from the prospect of finally winning a Golden Globe. It wasn’t from having to see the one woman he’d been avoiding for almost a year. Who he felt like he knew everything about, even before she had started sending him gifts as apologies.

Ben couldn’t forget the first time he’d seen Rey Niima. Perhaps he would have felt different if he’d first seen her on a red carpet, or even simply at another ridiculous Hollywood event. But it had been almost six years previously, on a trip to London, when his mother had put tickets to a production of _A Streetcar Named Desire_ in his hands and told him he must see it. And Rey had been a phenomenal Blanche. Ben had never seen someone so beautiful, so talented, enigmatic, poised and receptive to their role before.

Then over the years that had followed, Ben had religiously kept tabs on her career, expecting big things from her more than anything, but quietly being a fan.

He’d never even spoken to her before the incident at the Golden Globes. They’d perhaps exchanged glances and Rey had smiled at him, at least twice, but a word had never passed between them. Yet here he was, tucking her note close to his chest, because she consumed his thoughts and had been for longer than he wanted to admit. Falling on her gown, embarrassing himself and the fallout that had occurred after, they had just given him excuses to keep his distance.

‘Finn!’ The voice was hers and hers alone. Ben didn’t have to turn his head to check, and he merely sped along across the hotel lobby, knowing that his driver was already waiting out front.

‘Slow down, Ben, goddammit,’ Poe chased after him.

Ben was settling into the back of his limo without a glance behind him and he closed his eyes, deciding it was a bit too early to reach for the whiskey stowed away in the small drinks box, and it would probably be better to start this night off sober.

‘I can see right through you,’ Poe murmured, sliding in beside Ben.

The actor shrugged and looked out of the window, seeing Finn move through the hotel entrance doors with Rey’s stylist, Rose Tico, in tow.

‘Ben?’

He turned to Poe who had his diary in his lap, and a pen in his hand.

‘You’re gonna be okay, right? No lasting damage from last year?’

Ben swallowed and leant back in his chair, pulling his seatbelt on as the limo pulled out of the hotel entranceway. ‘Just...just let this night be memorable for good reasons.’

Poe looked ready to say something, to complain in fact, but he ended up rolling his eyes and putting his diary away. He watched Ben carefully as he pulled on his own belt, and neither exchanged any more words.

Soon enough they were pulling up to the beginning of the Beverly Hilton’s massive red carpet.

‘Do I look okay?’ Ben asked, speaking for the first time in almost fifteen minutes.

‘Yup, as good as usual.’

Ben nodded and waited as the door was pulled open. He unfolded himself and exited the car, immediately nodding and smiling to the members of the press who greeted him.

Poe took a position just behind him as photographers directed his attention to them as he began to walk the carpet. He could hear the fervour build when his own limo moved off and he knew the one containing Rose, Finn and Rey followed close behind.

He had been psyching himself up for days to not turn around, but he did anyway, and he was frozen for several moments, staring at Rey as she stood smiling amongst the press in a deep azure Valentino gown. A single leg peeked out of the folds of the dress as she walked, and her dark brown waves were carefully pulled away from her face in a loose chignon.

Ben almost tripped over himself as another actor moved past him and he turned quickly, looking back in front of him as he continued down the carpet, briefly greeting those he passed.

Regardless of what his head wanted, his eyes kept looking back at Rey. Watching her laugh with Phasma Storm and then chat animatedly with the legendary Maz Kanata. Ben was insanely jealous of her ability to shine so brightly among so many diamonds of Hollywood. It was her eyes that people gravitated to first, and to the Ben who had first seen her performing _Streetcar_ in the West End, it was no surprise.

‘Quick interview with The Hollywood Reporter, shouldn’t be more than five.’ Poe had hurried to walk beside Ben and then led him to a small outcrop before the huge white photo shoot walls ahead of them.

While Ben was relatively distracted from the questions being asked of him, he managed to make it through the conversation without Poe looking like he was going to voluntarily climb Ryan Seacrest’s damned staircase and throw himself off its small balcony. Though once the photoshoot was over, it was beginning to seem more and more like Poe was hiding something. Ben had known his publicist long enough to know that when he wasn’t meeting his eye, he was trying to avoid something he’d done.

It was a short time before Ben had a glass of champagne in his hand and was being ushered towards his table to chat, rather than to stand in the hotel entrance way. He was thankful for that, because he at least knew there’d be a few snacks waiting under his chair.

Poe took off soon after Ben had found his seat and the actor could only look after the man with suspicion. It was only when he’d settled with a handful of goji berries that he noted the name placard beside him: Rey Niima.

He knew it had to have been orchestrated by Poe and Kaydel. It should have been his director on that side and his co-star on the other, yet they’d sat him next to Rey. Rey, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Drama to his Best Supporting Actor.

There was still time to swap the name cards, especially considering the rest of his table had yet to be filled, though just as he was getting ready to stand, he saw the chair beside him slide across the carpet and a blue skirt come into view.

Ben looked up and there she was, the closest to him that she had been in a year and she was smiling widely. Beaming even.

‘Hi,’ she said, her voice bright and welcoming.

He didn’t respond, he could only stare.

Eventually when she realised she wasn’t going to get a response, she sat down, quite obviously angling her chair to face Ben rather than the table.

‘You’re supposed to say hi back,’ she whispered, her smile small but present.

Ben met her eyes and saw that the artificial lights illuminated the depths of hazel in them. She blinked at him before she reached out a hand and touched his arm gently.

‘Hi,’ he forced, knowing the word had sounded as if it had been left out in the sun for several days.

She grinned again and lifted her champagne flute to her lips. They were painted a deep pink.

‘I knew if I got the seat next to you, there would be no way that you could avoid me.’ Rey murmured behind her glass.

‘I’m no—I wasn’t.’

Rey chuckled then, putting her glass back down and crossing her hands in her lap. ‘I’m not an idiot, you have avoided giving me your number for almost a year, Ben Solo.’

‘I—.’

‘Did you at least like the puppies?’ she asked. There was hesitation in her voice and she chewed on the inside of her cheek as she waited for his answer. Ben didn’t answer, and she frowned, looking down at the white table cloth. ‘I thought you would have liked the puppies.’

‘No, I did,’ he said. The words were an automatic reaction to seeing her doubt herself and Ben berated himself afterwards.

Her smile returned, however, and she straightened in her seat.

‘Congratulations for the nomination, Ben.’

Ben nodded. ‘The same to you.’

The table began to fill then, and Ben took every opportunity to glance at Rey as she sipped her wine and spoke with those on the tables around them, turning easily to greet people directly and oftentimes standing to kiss the cheeks of those she knew best.

It was like sitting beside the sun. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel her warmth seep through his layers, he could sense what every spare ray of sunshine gave those around him and he wanted to bask in it forever.

The beginning of the ceremony came in a rush and Ben spent most of his time watching her carefully from the corner of his eye. How she fidgeted often, perhaps from nerves, perhaps just from sitting still. Her glass remained always half-full, knowing that if she left it empty, a waiter would fill it too quickly. When a winner was announced, she clapped excitedly as if the experience of being here was enough of an event. It didn’t matter that she was a talent in her own right, it didn’t matter that she was up next.

‘Aren’t you nervous?’ Ben found himself asking when there was a lull in the proceedings.

Rey turned to him, surprised to hear him speak and she shook her head, grinning. ‘This was the last thing to feel nervous about,’ she answered easily.

Perhaps it was the way she said it that had Ben second guessing her meaning. What could have been more nerve-wracking than waiting to hear whether you had won or lost an award?’

Ben was lost in a circle of his thoughts when acting legend Caluan Ematt took to the stage alongside the younger rising star Dopheld Mitaka to announce the nominees for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Motion Picture. He only glanced up when the camera was on Rey, and she was smiling bashfully.

Several seconds passed as Caluan tugged on the envelope and then grinned, looking over at their table and meeting Rey’s eyes.

‘Rey Niima, for _Kingdom Come_.’

Ben was applauding before he realised, and the entire ballroom broke into celebration at Rey’s name being called. She looked about her as she stood, grinning at Amilyn Holdo – her director – as she stood and approached the stage. She glanced back briefly, meeting Ben’s eyes and they were filled with such joy that Ben felt his heart flutter in his chest. It felt as if he had won himself.

The audience barely settled when Rey had reached the stage and Ben came to the realisation that they were in a room of people who adored her. Everyone had been rooting for her since her loss the previous year.

Rey kissed the cheeks of the two men on the stage and took the award into her small hands, holding it tightly as she approached the mic.

‘This is...this is...thank you so much.’ She began, her smile wide and her eyes bright, quickly filling with happy tears. ‘When I was a child, there wasn’t much I had but a love of films and an unreasonable voracity for eating.’ There was laughter and Rey sighed lightly. ‘I learnt to act out of sheer gluttony, because I knew if I acted hungry enough, I’d convince my parents that I’d missed lunch at school for whatever reason, and they’d give me extra portions.

‘Now I’m not saying that three years at RADA didn’t teach me anything, but I can tell you that the best parts of my performance in _Kingdom Come_ definitely came from those formative years of being a bottomless pit.’ She glanced down at the award in her hand and then back at the audience.

‘In all seriousness, I never thought I’d be here. Becoming an actor was the hardest decision I ever made because it meant risking everything and losing my parents as a child meant I had very little to hold as collateral. If I failed, that was it. So, I’d like to dedicate this award to all those who held me above the water when I was so sure I would sink.’ Rey smiled and held the award above her head, grinning through the tears that begun to fall. ‘Thank you.’

She disappeared to the side of the stage, wiping her tears with the tips of her fingers and Ben smiled, looking down at where she had previously sat, her champagne abandoned beside him.

The next presenters were already up on the stage and Ben glanced up, his mind preoccupied with when Rey would return. It took two more awards to be given out before she was sat back down, a beaming smile on her face and the award in her hands.

‘Congratulations,’ Ben murmured.

Rey didn’t respond. She met his eyes, holding his gaze steadfastly and Ben wondered what she was searching for in them. When he did expect her to say something, she just turned back in her chair and elbowed him to notify him that he was up next and was not paying any attention.

Maz Kanata stood alone and with grandeur in her white pantsuit, her emerald jewels shining at her neck and the envelope held in her wrinkled hands.

‘And nominees for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Drama are.’ Her voice was strong and carried around the room. Ben was thoroughly amazed, and the surprise remained on his face, even as the camera caught him when his name was mentioned, and he goofily clapped along with everyone else.

When he glanced at Rey she was chuckling, clearly thinking his expression was ridiculous. He turned back to look at Maz and she was staring right at him, her gaze searing and she hadn’t even opened the envelope yet. She took her time doing so and then she smirked.

‘Ben Solo for _Shades of Grey_.’

The first scream of elation came from Rey and Ben glanced at her, not quite believing that she would react so strongly to him winning. Though before he knew it, he was being hustled out of his chair and people were patting him on the back as he navigated through the tables and chairs.

When he got to the stage, the fact that he had won finally sunk in and he looked about himself, completely gormless.

‘Well...this is honestly unexpected.’ He murmured. ‘I mean, I’ve had a speech prepared since I was nine, but I didn’t think I’d actually get to use it.’ Ben scratched his neck, looking over the award that Maz had just pushed into his hands. ‘Though I suppose at my age, it would be a bit strange to thank my pet turtle for his support and my mother for all those sandwiches.’

He looked up and out into the audience and they were smiling at him, as if waiting for something interesting for him to say. When his eyes passed over to Rey, she was leant forward attentively, and he was overcome with the desire to be honest. There’d been a speech that he’d written, mostly moderated by Poe and it had been abandoned in his hotel room, exactly where it belonged. This was his one chance to be honest with himself, and Ben wanted to take it.

‘Making this movie was hard. It brought me face to face with a lot of things that I thought I put to bed and everyday was more like a trial by fire, where I was constantly burned by the memories of the past. I thought a lot about my grandfather, about how I never met him, but I was so obsessed with wanting to be a part of his legacy and that, that was my dream. Making a dead man proud. I think with this film, it was the first time that I saw myself as wholly me, separate from any expectations or obligations due to what family I was born into. So, I’d like to thank Gial Ackbar for writing and creating such a beautiful story and to the person who sent this script to me. For thinking it was for me, before I even did.’

Ben swallowed as he met Rey’s eyes from across the room, surprised himself that he’d had the guts to even mention her hand in this, that this was truly due to her and he was thankful. Her smile was huge, and it filled Ben with that same existential dread that had, had him ignoring her for a year now. She was beautiful and warm. She was his opposite and this night had only drawn a line beneath that truth.

Even as he stood on the stage, not able to tear his eyes away from her, he was reminded of the weeks that had followed the previous year’s awards show. The threats he’d received, and the abuse that had been flung at him from even the press, and yet Rey had stayed resolutely kind and giving. In interviews she reassured continuously and without prompt that she was fine, and that Ben Solo did not deserve the abuse. Though Ben always stood behind the idea of it being karmic retribution; he deserved it. Yet she had made it so hard for him to just _be_ punished and accept it.

The applause began, and Rey watched him as he navigated back to his seat, her smile wide and her hands together, frozen in a clap. She pulled his seat out for him and he sat with a brief nod, laying the award down on the table.

‘Congratulations,’ she whispered. ‘I knew you’d win.’

Ben met her gaze again, his lips twitching to smile, but he didn’t follow through. Rey lifted her glass up again, meeting his eyes once more, before she looked back to the stage.

The few categories that remained seemed to fly by for Ben and he was too distracted by Rey sitting beside him, practically glowing as she watched the rest of the show. He barely touched his drink and he knew that the others on the table had noticed his behaviour.

He was thankful when the show ended, and everyone began to leave the ballroom. The award winners were directed away for interviews and for award engraving and amongst the rush, Ben lost sight of Rey and felt Poe’s tell-tale piercing grip on his upper arm.

‘Good job, man. Interviews with NBC and the BBC. Do you want to see the award engraved, or should I take it for you?’ He asked, his earpiece in his ear and his diary in his free hand.

Ben looked about him, still trying to catch that blue dress and he shook his head. ‘You get it engraved.’

Poe nodded and took the globe from him. ‘If you don’t mind, get down to the foyer and Jess Pava from HFPA will find you and take you around to the press area. I’ll be back in a bit for the photo op. Did you decide what after party you wanted to go to?’

He shrugged, and Poe rolled his eyes before zooming off with the award.

‘Ben?’

Turning quickly, he was met by bright hazel eyes again and Ben breathed out, relieved.

‘I lost you for a bit there,’ she said with a grin. ‘I got mine engraved.’ Her voice was full of excitement as she held up the award, her name carved clear across the bottom. ‘Where’s yours?’

‘With Poe,’ he murmured, speaking low.

Rey frowned and before Ben could do anything, she had knotted her arm through his and had begun to walk him through the foyer. ‘You have to see it get engraved, that’s the best part.’

Ben looked down at her, at the dimples that settled into her cheeks as she smiled and the quick pace she made, even in heels. There were a few people who looked over at them, and Ben imagined it was because of the apparent poor relationship that the press had continued to run about them. As if they were enemies. He was the spot of darkness in the brightness of Rey Niima’s illustrious career.

They eventually made it into the small room that held a selection of engravers inside and Poe was second in line, talking animatedly through his earpiece. He was laughing as they approached him and when he noticed Ben, he didn’t even comment, he merely handed him the award, raised his eyebrows at Rey and then moved out of the room, talking all the while.

‘Congratulations Mr Solo.’ The engraver who took the award from Ben was around his mother’s age and she went to work immediately, picking up her tools and measuring out the space. ‘Your name is short, so I’ll make quick work of it,’ she grinned.

Rey was standing far too closely, completely absorbed and Ben was amused as he watched her, glancing only briefly at the engraving. Her arm was still slotted through his and Ben glance down at her fingers when she tightened her hold on his bicep.

‘Rey.’

Her eyes met his again and she tilted her head slightly. ‘What?’

‘Why are you doing this?’ he whispered.

She looked back at the engraver, watching as the woman began on the final ‘O’ in his name, the smile not fading. ‘Why do you look so confused?’ she asked.

The engraver set the award down with a flourish and when Ben remained looking only at Rey rather than taking up the award, she did so instead and placed it into his hands. She led them out of the room until Ben stopped them in the corridor, the crowds having thinned there.

‘I’m confused because I don’t understand.’

‘What’s there to understand?’ Her arm slipped from his and she held her award in two hands in front of her. She moved from one heeled foot to the other as she held his gaze, standing no more than four inches from his height.

‘I’ve ignored you for a year and you act like I haven’t.’

Rey looked at her award and lifted it up and then looked back at Ben. ‘Don’t you think this is serendipity?’ she questioned. ‘That we could both win tonight.’

Ben frowned, frustrated as to why Rey was avoiding answering his questions. Seeming to circumnavigate them as if they were meaningless inconveniences. As if he hadn’t wittingly slighted her for months on end because he was frightened of her and everything she represented.

‘I did worry, only for a little, that you’d see me sit next to me, and ignore me completely,’ she said simply. ‘Finn talked me up a lot, to be quite honest, convinced me that I wasn’t acting like a crazy stalker with all the gifts and everything.’ Rey began to chew on her bottom lip then, marring her lipstick slightly. ‘If it wasn’t clear, I’m sorry by the way. I shouldn’t have worn that dress, and I didn’t help afterwards.’

‘Don’t say that.’ Ben said, sighing heavily.

Rey looked back up at him and she looked nervous.

‘The dress was beautiful, you looked incredible,’ he said simply, awkwardly leaning his weight onto one leg.

He could hear her smile before he saw it and Rey chuckled lightly. ‘Really?’

‘I’m sorry.’ Ben was ready to divulge, but Rey smiled wide and it was like she was reading his mind, understanding exactly what he was apologising for: for falling over her dress, for ignoring her, for being the forever awkward Ben Solo.

‘I liked the puppies,’ he decided on. ‘And _Normal People_ was the best book I’ve ever read.’ She beamed, and he swallowed. ‘Thank you. I should have said earlier, thank you.’

Rey shook her head and her hand reached for his. Her small fingers squeezed his own much larger ones. ‘It was the best part of my year, deciding on what to send you. You know you are a very difficult man. If you had spoken to me sooner, then perhaps it wouldn’t have gone on for so long.’

Ben snorted lightly, and he pulled his hand from Rey’s, feeling awkward. He’d never even spoken to her before this day, yet he felt like he knew her, he felt like every one of those gifts was a piece of her soul bestowed upon him. And he had ultimately taken advantage of her.

She seemed to hesitate, her hand not immediately moving away from near his and then she struggled with her words before tightening her jaw. ‘I want to be honest with you.’

‘When are you not?’ His voice sounded like it had a mocking edge to it and he winced. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean it to—.’

Her smile and chuckle were what interrupted Ben from continuing his unnecessary apology. Whatever that had made her become so suddenly serious had not stuck around for long. Ben felt his chest ache as he looked at her, exhausted by his own attraction to her that he had poorly, and oftentimes reluctantly, nurtured over the last six years.

‘Honesty is the best policy,’ he said without being prompted, in his most generic “grocery commercial” voice.

Hazel eyes continued to watch him, and Ben squirmed.

‘What was your favourite gift?’ Rey suddenly asked, seeming to have chosen the question out of the blue considering she stuttered over the first two words.

Ben didn’t want to answer yet she did not look away, she just waited patiently, even whilst people passed them in the hall. They were emptying to the lobby for interviews and conversation ahead of leaving to the various after parties, so the hall began to quieten.

Even if he wanted to deny it, mostly to himself, Ben knew the answer as soon as she had asked, and it felt like just another headache. If she meant less to him, at least he could have pretended that he didn’t remember all her gifts, that he didn’t feel her beating heart through every note or curled character in her handwritten cards.

‘The Birthday card,’ he murmured quietly, deciding to look at his dress shoes.

Among the gifts from fans that Poe had presented to him on the day itself, the simple envelope; blue with his name neatly written in large letters on the front, had been unimposing. He knew her handwriting by then and so he expected another unnecessary discount voucher and perhaps a joke about his age, but the contents had very much been an open door, one that he had forced himself not to walk through:

 ~

_Dear Ben,_

_I’ve been told that Birthdays are really just moments of reflection. To reflect on an age, we will never be again and to look boldly into the future, bolstered by the mistakes we have made and the lessons we have learnt._

_Birthdays have never been big for me, but I’ll make an exception for you. If today is the only day you can look back on the last year and see it how I see it, see it how I see you, then I hope your birthday is full of love and that the next year overwhelms you with happiness and fulfilment._

_And maybe next year you’ll have a party and invite me to it?_

_A Million Happy Birthdays._

_Yours, Rey._

 ~

Rey snorted softly, and Ben looked up at her. Her cheeks were red, her eyes were tightly closed and there was a tiny smile on her lips. ‘My love letter?’ she murmured.

‘Your love letter?’ His mouth had gone dry and yet Rey still did not look at him.

‘That you never responded to. That I agonised over for two months afterwards because I never should have sent it.’ She shook her head, huffing. ‘Of course that would be your favourite,’ she murmured mostly to herself.

Ben’s hands were damp on his award and his heart fought actively against him, trying to escape his chest and bounce right into Rey’s hands.

‘I thought about it,’ he said awkwardly. ‘Responding. In my head I had a hundred times.’

Rey opened her eyes then and she scanned his features, though Ben didn’t know what she was looking to see.

‘But if you didn’t want me to see it so much, it was better that I didn’t.’

She swallowed this time, her expression turning sour and Ben could see that her hands were shaking and before he could say anything, she was wiping at her face and Ben was frozen seeing her tears, not even looking about him to check whether anyone else in the corridor had seen them.

‘I thought that...I thought maybe…’ Rey didn’t finish her words and she took a big breath before ironing out her expression and touching the skin beneath her eyes carefully, trying to remove any damage she had made to her makeup.

Rey looked ready to move away and Ben halted her, almost panicked that she was leaving now after he’d made her cry. He couldn’t get anything right when it came to Rey Niima and even with the opportunity to fix his mistakes right now, he was at a loss with what to say. Ben Solo was a man of few words, and those he had were not particularly the best.

‘You wanted me to respond?’ he asked after an agonising twenty seconds of silence.

She nodded warily, and her hands tightened on her golden globe.

‘Then I will, if that’s what you want.’ Rey nodded again, and Ben wondered what he was doing. Why he was doing this when he promised himself that he would keep his distance from her.

Ben cleared his throat, not breaking his gaze from Rey. ‘Dear Rey. Thank you for your card.’ He scratched at his neck, feeling awkward as he spoke. ‘It was the only one I received with any meaning and even though twenty-four hours haven’t even passed, I’ve read it so many times that I’ve forgotten all of my lines for tomorrow and can only remember your words.’

Her brows rose, and Ben continued. ‘I’m not worthy of your care and attention and the part of me that is conscious of how far away you should be kept from me is asking you to stop sending me apologies. Stop squaring a piece of yourself away in these gifts, because I don’t deserve it.’ Ben wanted to look anywhere but at Rey, though her magnetic eyes kept him transfixed on her.

‘I love you.’ The words were said quickly and rather than it being said with happiness, there was a frown on her face as Rey spoke, as if she had already prepared herself for disappointment and heartache: As if she were steeling herself for rejection. ‘I knew I would even before I met you.’ Then she scratched the back of her neck and stepped away from him. ‘Or at least I think I am... or else I don’t know why else I would feel like this.’ Rey’s gaze reached his. ‘You tripping over my dress was all the excuse I needed to at least talk to you.’

‘You...you definitely shouldn’t.’ Ben forced himself to say, closing his eyes to lessen the pain that his own words caused in his chest. All he could think about was her on that stage, the first time he’d seen her, how beautiful and how talented she had been, how she had only gotten better.

‘Why?’

Ben opened his eyes and she was looking at him earnestly, not even stepping into his space, letting him figure himself out without her input. She didn’t have to, yet she had, and his mind screamed at him, practically shouting that she was too good for him.

‘I ignored you for a whole year,’ he started, and when her expression did not change, he added: ‘And I nearly killed you and destroyed a McQueen.’

Rey’s brows furrowed and then she was laughing, loudly and with such mirth that Ben thought he might have imagined the conversation that had occurred since they had left the engraving room.

‘You’re the same man I remembered you to be,’ she murmured. ‘I knew I hadn’t imagined it.’

‘What do you mean?’

She smiled, clearly aiming to disarm Ben of the frown that he had equipped. ‘I remember the night you came to see _Streetcar_ , how could I not when you’re Ben Solo? With your famous acting family and boundless talent. I thought maybe you recognise me from something else or thought that I was someone else, because no one has ever looked at me the way you looked at me that night, with the stage and three rows between us.’

‘Then I ended up in the US, and every time our paths crossed I thought that this is what fate is, even if we hadn’t even shared a single word.’

Ben was silent for a moment and he looked down at his hand when Rey eventually reached out to take his. She’d seen him that day and she had felt it too. He couldn’t deny that information and here she was, baring herself to him, and he was still second-guessing himself in his head.

Her hand trailed up his arm until it reached his neck, where Rey gently cupped his jaw in one hand, smiling warmly at him. ‘Please let me in,’ she murmured.

He sighed heavily, closing his eyes and feeling the warmth in his chest reaching for her, wanting to be closer to her. Ben nodded then, and he exhaled, knowing he had been stifling his own breaths just to listen to Rey. His heart beat unreasonably fast and he heard the ruffle of her gown before he opened his eyes to meet hers; mere centimetres from his own. Rey’s warm breath met his and his free hand automatically reached for her waist—slight beneath his shaking grip.

Even as she moved closer, to do nothing else but kiss him, Ben’s mind worked quickly to try and dissuade him. One suggestion being that he couldn’t kiss her if he couldn’t even return her sentiment, yet she still swayed towards him on the tips of her already high heels.

‘Ben Organa Solo, what the fuck are you doing?’

Poe’s voice was full of annoyance and Ben stepped back from Rey, disconnecting from her as he turned around to look for Poe in the empty corridor. The publicist eventually rounded a corner and paused when he saw the two of them.

‘You are fifteen minutes late for interviews, or have you finally decided to rebel against me?’ Poe asked, his diary in a white-knuckled grip. He looked over at Rey then. ‘Kaydel is looking for you. You both have schedules to keep, so get moving.’

The two of them followed Poe in silence, merely exchanging glances and then looks of pure pain when they had to part ways in the lobby.

Ben barely made it through his two interviews, far too distracted by his almost kiss with Rey. It was another hour before Ben was free from the press area and he could hand his award over to Poe.

Rey was half-hiding between a column and a large potted plant, though her large dress stuck out quite a fair bit. When Ben approached her, she leant off the wall, approaching him with the slightest of hesitation.

He smiled, feeling a sudden flow of relief break through him. This was what she wanted, so he could want it too.

‘You’re not allowed to leave my side from now, okay?’ Rey said, folding their hands together.

‘Other people will notice,’ he murmured, and though he didn’t mind, he didn’t know if Rey would.

Her smile became a grin and she nodded. ‘I hope so.’

‘I love you too.’

The words spilled easily from him and Ben knew the truth, though it had been steadily repressed, was necessary in that singular moment.

Rey wordlessly reached for him and Ben lowered himself, so their lips could meet. There was relief in their kiss. A release of the tension that had been pent up over what had been even more than a year for the both of them.

Ben’s arms wrapped around her waist while hers around his neck and he held her aloft slightly, taking the burden off his neck and off her toes, and they kissed with easy abandon, laughter brimming against each other’s lips.

‘I should get paid extra,’ Poe murmured to Finn as the two men watched the embracing couple.

Finn laughed, slapping Poe’s shoulder. ‘Well if Kaydel has anything to say, she’ll take credit for knowing the HFPA Official managing the seating, and then there’s the convenient good press of having a couple of nominees in love.’

Poe frowned then, crossing his arms. ‘Hmm, you have a point there. It would have been better if they were nominees in love _and_ married. Shame. Maybe next year.’

‘Next year?’ Finn blurted, looking at the other man.

The publicist nodded with a shrug. ‘I give Ben four months to pop the question.’

‘I give Rey two.’

They both looked at each other and then immediately started laughing. Poe pulled his Bluetooth earpiece from his ear then and started walking back to the main lobby followed by Finn. He turned then and frowned. ‘Ugh, though make sure those two don’t start going at it, at the party. Ben’s stunk of sexual frustration all night.’

‘Wouldn’t want that hitting the socials,’ Finn answered, barely maintaining a straight face.  

‘Absolutely not.’

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading this. Btw Rey’s dress is actually Gemma Chan’s Valentino number from the Golden Globes this year. It was stunning and so I just had to choose it. The dress Ben tripped over I had in my mind, but I don’t think I’ve seen it before. As big and long as a Vera Wang (like Alison Brie’s Golden Globes look) or Valentino (Lady Gaga), but with a train that is part of a neck piece/scarf, trailing at least 7ft.
> 
> I changed where Golden Globes get engraved (usually it is at the HFPAs lame awards celebration for winners to literally only get their names engraved and maybe get some snacks), since it’s unimportant but necessary.
> 
> Thinking maybe to actually have a part deux set at the Oscars. Or even just in a broom closet...


	2. A Night to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awards season continues and the new couple are preparing to face off against not only the press, but the daunting results of the Academy Awards. [Updated Tags]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hurray, I wrote a part two, with 100% more smut. THIS MEANS UPDATED TAGS/RATING Y'ALL.

Rey giggled as she pushed Ben's hair behind his ears. Her thumbs gently stroked the lobes and his arms tightened around her waist, his eyes still closed despite a smile making an appearance.

She kissed his lips softly, continuing her attempts to make him open his eyes.

‘Would you rather have Poe wake you up?’ she questioned.

‘I'll just wait until Kaydel starts screaming down the halls looking for you when she doesn't find you in your own hotel room.’

Rey sighed. ‘I did tell her they could save money by just getting us in one suite.’

Ben chuckled, and he snuggled against Rey, relishing in the softness of her pyjamas over her warm skin. ‘That's probably against policy.’

‘Maybe we should get rid of our management altogether?’

He laughed again and finally opened his eyes and pulled back to look at Rey.

‘What? Do you plan on retiring after tonight?’ he asked.

Rey shrugged. ‘We could always run away to the Caribbean and stage our own productions on cruise ships.’

‘Sounds like all work and no play.’

Rey began to play with his ears again and Ben watched her expression carefully. She seemed transfixed on them and it was several more seconds before she noticed he was watching her, and she finally met his gaze.

‘Was it a good idea that you came to my room?’ he questioned.

She smiled wryly, a finger curling in his hair. ‘I know you didn’t want me to, but I missed you.’

Ben sighed, and his head dropped to her shoulder, silent as he inhaled her familiar scent: Lemon and raspberry shampoo, cherry Chapstick and something wholly Rey. ‘I missed you too.’

The pair had barely seen each other since the Golden Globes a month and a half before. As Globe winners and now Academy Award nominees, their schedules had been full of shoots, interviews and rehearsals for their next projects. They texted and called each other constantly, but it wasn’t the same as being able to breathe the same air. Even at the award show events that had happened in between, one of them always had to rush off for a flight, or they were seated extremely far away from each other.

They’d had dinner the previous day, when Rey had finally made it back to LA after a week in New York and another week in London, though they had been forced to share it with Poe and Kaydel, who had been on the clock twenty-four-seven.

The two had been exhausted when they finally separated for the night, though Ben had woken up in the night to find Rey knocking at his room door in her robe and sleep in her eyes. She had then promptly jumped into his bed and fallen asleep, curling around him when he eventually slipped back underneath the covers.

Rey’s thumb stroked softly against his neck and he looked back up at her to find her smiling widely. She looked utterly beautiful with her face creased from sleep and her hair a complete mess of knots.

‘How long do you think it will be until they come around?’

He shrugged, his arms wrapping more solidly around her waist. ‘Why, what are you thinking?’

‘You know what I’m thinking,’ she said nonchalantly.

Ben blinked and swallowed.

 _That_ was uncharted territory. They’d been close, particularly on the night of the Golden Globes. The two had ended up at the InStyle after party and were quickly loaded with far too much alcohol and uncharacteristically for Ben, Rey managed to drag him onto the dancefloor, both showcasing how poorly they danced.

Rey had then come up with the great idea of making an elevator video, that mostly comprised of them continuing to dance badly and then ended with them making out against the opposite wall, out of shot of the camera.

If the two had, had a hotel room in the Beverly Hilton, perhaps they would have unlocked that achievement, but just before they went off to get into the same limousine back to their own hotel, Poe dramatically removed Ben to meet a director and Kaydel warned Rey that she was far drunker than she realised.

‘I’m absolutely not opposed to the idea.’ Ben finally said.

She smiled warmly, and her fingers combed through his hair, her nails gently grazing his scalp. Ben felt his breathing grow harried as her nails crawled against his skin, her lips pressing soft kisses against his jaw and throat, her body warm and strong in his arms.

‘Do you think something will be different afterwards?’ she asked, meeting his eyes steadily.

Ben didn’t miss the slight frown that worried her lips and he pressed forward, kissing her delicately and briefly before pulling back.

‘Are you asking if I could love you more than I love you now?’ He smiled, and his fingers folded together on her lower back. ‘Because that it is an absolute possibility.’

Rey grinned, though sighed softly. ‘But you know what I mean. This draws a line under what we are. There are no take-backs, and it would be just you and me from now. And I should tell you, Benjamin, I don’t think I can share you with your fans.’

He laughed loudly, leaning into his pillow. ‘What do you think your fans will do when they see us on the carpet together?’

She shrugged. ‘Kaydel suggested warming them up with an Instagram live. I don’t think they are a particularly rough bunch,’ she murmured and then paused. ‘Well other than the ones who think you almost killed me.’

Ben sighed, remembering that fateful night yet again.

‘You’re making me ruin the mood, Ben,’ she groaned.

He chuckled and pulled himself closer to her so that their noses were touching.

‘Shall I just kiss you, then?’ he asked.

Rey smiled and nodded, then paused before their lips met. ‘You have a condom, right?’

‘Poe left some, because he’s an ass.’

She chuckled. ‘An ass who wants to get you laid?’

Ben grunted despite agreeing and he closed the distance, pressing his lips eagerly against Rey’s. She seemed to melt against him as her arms wrapped around his shoulders while her tongue danced with his.

He loosened his grip around her waist and his hands slipped beneath the soft shirt of her pyjamas, revelling in the smooth skin of her stomach. As his fingers moved over the taught skin over her ribs, Rey took a deep breath and sighed when his hands closed around her small breasts.

Her knee involuntarily shifted, bumping against his crotch softly, Ben half-hard already.

Thumbs grazed her hardening nipples and Rey sighed into Ben’s mouth, wanting there to be less clothes between them. The only part of her that touched his skin beside his hands on her chest was his lips on hers, and that needed to be quickly rectified.

‘Where can I start?’ Ben asked in a hurry, separating them for as short a time as they could manage.

Rather than speak and take away her ability to kiss Ben, she removed a hand from his shoulder and took the hand that was massaging her right breast, steadily bringing it back down the route of her stomach and then within the waistband of her pyjama pants.

Ben groaned as his fingers felt the wet material and then her dripping centre. He could feel her heart beating wildly and she shuddered when he drifted his fore and middle fingers through her slick.

‘You’re so warm.’ Her eyes were closed, and her breath was heavy against his jaw. Ben had broken their kiss for a moment, trying to catch his bearings.

He was impatient to kiss her again, though wanted to taste her and be inside of her.

His fingers drifted carefully around the edge of her opening and then climbed towards her peak, the small nub beginning to throb under his attention. Rey twitched in his arms, eyes closed tightly, and his lips left soft kisses against her throat, along the clavicle that he was still seeking forgiveness for harming a year before.

Ben was mostly dissatisfied that he couldn’t see Rey. She was hidden to him beneath layers of clothing and the sheets of the bed. Taking the initiative, he moved to pull the covers away when there was a loud banging at the door.

‘Hey, wake up Ben, you’ve got a lot of shit in your schedule before makeup.’

‘For fucks sake,’ Ben groaned.

Rey sighed though was thoroughly amused. ‘Perhaps you jinxed us.’

He narrowed his eyes at her before removing both hands and swiftly licking her slick from his fingers, doing a thorough job of it while Rey watched in semi-shocked wonder.

‘That’s going to be a problem for me,’ she murmured, squirming in her clothes. The concept of dry underwear was thrown out of the window, as she knew she’d be repeating that over and over again throughout the day.

Ben just grinned with one last lick to his middle finger and then kissed her quickly.

Rey stood with him, straightening her pyjamas and grabbing for the robe she had discarded on the floor beside her, while Ben went for the door, deciding the best he could do about hiding his erection was by standing behind Rey.

Poe had managed him for almost ten years, but Ben probably couldn’t step that far over their ever-changing boundary line.

‘About fucking ti—oh Rey.’ Poe was caught short and looked back up at Ben with a creased brow.

‘Morning, Poe,’ Rey said cheerily. ‘You seen Kaydel yet?’

The publicist shook his head and caught the flushed skin at Rey’s neck, though Ben feigned nonchalance with the easy skill of the trained and seasoned actor he was.

‘You probably shouldn’t let the paps catch you like that.’

Ben rolled his eyes, but Rey just chuckled, combing her fingers through her hair before turning to look up at Ben. He wordlessly met her with a kiss and she flitted off, hurrying down the corridor and back to her room.

‘Did she sleep here?’

He nodded, putting his hands in his pockets to make his gradually ebbing erection less visible. ‘She missed me,’ he said casually, his tone one of sheer stupid elation.

Poe rolled his eyes this time, pushing Ben back into his room and closing the door behind him. ‘A part of me hopes that her fans eat you alive, but then again, that would be more work for me.’

‘Don’t be jealous.’

‘How should I feel when I’m surrounded by couples?’ Poe huffed and then took his diary from underneath his arm, opening it onto a nearby table. ‘Finn’s coming to prep you from five, and no kissing.’

Ben was ready to complain, but Poe put a hand up. ‘You can peck, but nothing more until after the show. The car will pick you both up at 6:30. You’ve got a lot of interviews and photo opps on the carpet and I’m sure it’s the same for Rey.’

‘How will it work, us walking together?’

Poe paused and bit on the end of his pen. ‘Are you one hundred percent sure about it?’

Ben nodded.

‘I’ll have to arrange with Kaydel, but I’ll signal where your interviews and solo photo opps will be. It’ll be messy when the media see you two together. I was hoping that a few pre-show lives on Instagram and twitter would alert them, so that they organise how and where they ask you to take pictures together. I think we should leave it until the media wall, but it might not work out like that.’

Poe scratched his head and then flipped to another page. ‘You’re wearing the burgundy velvet Tom Ford.’

‘Burgundy?’ Ben frowned. He always wore black. Always.

‘To match Rey,’ the publicist responded, rolling his eyes. ‘She’s wearing gold.’

He hesitated but nodded with a grunt.

‘I would tell you to avoid questions about the two of you, but you won’t listen to that.’

Ben shrugged. ‘What’s there to tell? If they ask if we are in a relationship, it’s a yes, simple.’

‘And what if they ask when you’re getting married? How it will impact your career? The intricate details of your coupling?’

He frowned but shrugged again. ‘Whatever comes to my mind.’

‘I might as well sign my resignation now.’

Ben chuckled at that. ‘Rey suggested that we elope and start a cruise ship production company in the Caribbean.’

‘I hate the two of you.’

 

**XxX**

 

Rey lifted the camera, quickly moving it into an angle she liked, straightening her necklace briefly before glancing at Ben, who felt quite awkward. Ben sat behind her on the L-shaped sofa of the hotel lounge, his fingers playing with the curls that dropped down her back, stopping just below her bra strap.

She grinned, glancing back at him. ‘It’s not that dramatic, Ben.’

‘It’s not exactly honest.’

Rey laughed. ‘Are you not being honest about me? Or are you planning on lying?’

He considered her for a moment. Even if the situation was artificial, what they felt about each other was certainly not. ‘I do not plan on lying.’

‘Perfect.’ She pressed the record icon then and after several seconds waved at the screen, beaming widely. ‘Hi guys,’ she began, and Ben watched as the viewer numbers shot up quickly. ‘I’ll wait a bit before getting into what I’m going to say so everyone gets a chance to join in.’

There were comments then, asking why Ben Solo was there in the shot with her.

‘I am here with Ben as we are going to the awards together.’ Ben waved awkwardly at the camera and Rey chuckled, seeing his image in the screen. ‘I searched high and low for a date to the academy awards and after a rigorous selection process, Ben came out on top.’ Her eyes scanned quickly over some of the comments and she laughed. ‘You know as well as I that he can speak, I just imagine technology is very daunting for him.’ Rey looked over her shoulder. ‘Do you know how to live stream, Ben?’

He frowned and narrowed his eyes at the phone. ‘You press the camera button.’

‘See he does know.’ Rey chuckled, her free hand pulling her curls over one shoulder. ‘Oh, they seem disappointed that you know how, but you won’t grace the internet with your presence. I tell you what guys, if we win this thing, how about I promise to get this man on a livestream at least once a month, yeah?’

Ben glimpsed an incredibly graphic comment about him and immediately burst out laughing, causing Rey to turn towards him with surprise. Her expression then settled, and she chuckled, shaking her head.

‘No, MrKyleRon, I don’t think I can fit you into my schedule.’

‘What did he ask?’ Rey held his gaze and Ben’s smile didn’t fade.

‘I probably shouldn’t repeat it.’

Rey raised her brows and then looked back at the camera. ‘Well MrKyleRon, you are more than welcome to send in your requests for Benjamin Solo to his publicist, I’m sure he’d love that.’

Ben smirked, and Rey elbowed him lightly, giggling.

‘Poe will definitely get you for that one,’ he whispered, drifting closer to her to drop his volume.

Rey held in another laugh and looked back at the camera. ‘No, you aren’t allowed to see my whole dress yet, you’ll have to wait a few hours. And yes, Ben is wearing burgundy and I do indeed call him Benjamin sometimes.’

‘There are a lot of comments about the tux, aren’t there?’

‘Have you ever worn anything other than black before?’ she questioned.

He shook his head and Rey chuckled. ‘Well ladies and gentlemen, it is a lucky day for you all. Ben Solo is not in black at this year’s Academy Awards. Perhaps next year you guys can get him into white? Hint, his stylist is the husband of mine.’

‘Are you trying to get every member of my team inundated with emails?’

Rey nodded happily.

‘I think that’s it guys. I am beyond excited for tonight and thank you all for your warm words and congratulations, I am truly truly grateful. We might stream again on the carpet or just before, so watch out for the notification. Wish us good luck.’ She waved to the camera and then turned the live stream off, breathing deeply in the silence.

‘That could have been worse,’ she said.

Ben raised an eyebrow. ‘Because they didn’t threaten to mob me in the street?’

Rey rolled her eyes and elbowed Ben again. The two of them stood from the couch, Rey tucking her phone into a small gold purse. Ben’s arm snaked around her waist and she turned to him, but they both stopped a hair’s breadth apart.

‘Poe said I can’t kiss you,’ he murmured, his breath hitting her lips.

‘Poe likes ruining things, doesn’t he?’ she questioned.

Ben nodded, and he stepped away, before lifting her hands to him and kissing the knuckles on both. Rey smiled wide as he folded their fingers together.

The door opened and both Poe and Kaydel walked in chatting animatedly, Kaydel with her Bluetooth in and Poe with his diary in his hands. Finn and Rose were trailing after them, seemingly amused about something as they stood close together smirking.

‘The live was good Rey,’ Kaydel said, looking her charge over with a keen eye. She twisted the gold necklace at Rey’s throat, and then inspected the quality of the burgundy paint on her fingernails.

Rose followed her, tugging at the dress to have it fit better, adjusting its many gold tassels and kneeling to check the clasps on Rey’s heels.

Poe was writing something down and Finn pretended to act like he was doing something by taking out his lint brush and using it on the velvet suit. He pulled a stray black curl back and then fiddled with Ben’s pocket square for a moment more.

He seemed to pause and then lifted Ben’s hand that wasn’t still connected to Rey and dropped it again.

The watch was placed in Ben’s hand by Poe, before he could say anything, and Ben let go of Rey to attach it to himself.

‘Don’t you two look the perfect picture,’ Rose said, her hands clasped together.

‘Let’s just hope the paps don’t rip them to shreds,’ Poe said casually, benevolently handing Ben a bag of cashews.

Rey frowned. ‘What about me?’

‘I’m on a bulking diet,’ Ben said awkwardly, while he practically knocked back the bag and swallowed the nuts quickly.

Kaydel looked apologetic. ‘Celery?’

‘With peanut butter?’

‘Sorry no.’

Rey sighed and took up her bag, walking through the door of the lounge and beginning her walk down to the limo. Ben trailed after her, eventually catching her to join their hands and slow Rey down.

‘I’ve got some grapes in the limo,’ Ben whispered as he leaned into her.

She grinned. ‘I love you.’

 

**XxX**

 

Rey took out her phone again when they were five minutes away from the Dolby Theatre, starting the stream off solo and explaining where they were, before adding Ben into the frame, where he awkwardly waved at the screen.

It was clear by the comments that shot by that most of the viewers believed they were dating rather than just being friends. Ben received several texts from Poe updating them on the position of the press as Rey continued, answering questions and looking at Ben’s phone briefly as he tapped out replies to Poe.

When they eventually pulled up to the carpet, Rey exited first, holding her phone up for one last shot, before blowing a kiss and waving. Her phone was in Kaydel’s hand before Ben had exited the car and Rey was posing a metre from the car door as she waited for her boyfriend.

Ben was subject to a scrutinising look from Poe, before he got level with Rey, taking several solo shots and then easily taking her hand in his as they began the walk down the carpet.

There were several photo opps and carpet interviews that they both had break away for before they’d even reached the media wall. The journalist interviewing Ben seemed to be panic adding questions about Rey as he spoke, and Ben casually side-stepped them as he spoke about the film, only briefly mentioning when asked about his suit, that he was wearing burgundy to match his girlfriend.

The two found each other again and Rey wrapped her arm tightly around Ben’s, savouring his warmth. They were stopped a few more times by people they knew, and Rey was practically buzzing, her hand damp in Ben’s with nerves.

Ben still hadn’t wrapped his head around the fact that they were both nominated for an Academy Award, and the idea that they could both win was still trundling behind in his mind.

The media wall was a drawn-out affair, with the two of them taking photos separately and together, Rey holding tightly onto Ben, elbowing him when he didn’t smile.

They were soon ushered into the theatre by Poe and Kaydel before any more questions could be asked, and they found themselves in their seats, three rows away from each other. The theatre filled, and Ben glanced back at Rey, catching her smile and wink at him.

Rey won, and Ben didn’t.

The underdog had come to grab victory in Ben’s category, much to the surprise of the winner himself, yet Ben was far too elated with Rey’s win.

He couldn’t wait to congratulate her himself, to hug her and kiss her, to watch her excitedly get her award engraved. To the point that he began counting down the remaining categories, itching to get out, though knowing that Poe would later comment on his behaviour. He probably looked incensed, when he was just excited.

Once the ceremony ended, with Ben’s film winning Best Picture, among several other awards including Best Actress and Best Editing, Ben hastily zoomed towards Rey, politely avoiding the people who sought his attention.

Rey was swarmed by well-wishers, the award held tightly in her grip. When she caught Ben’s gaze, her eyes lit up and she excused herself, moving steadily towards him and melting into his arms.

‘I’m so proud of you,’ he whispered against her ear.

She grinned, tightening her arms around his neck. ‘I’m proud of you too.’

He snorted lightly. ‘But I didn’t win.’

‘I’m proud of you all the same,’ she stepped back then and looked at him squarely. ‘Regardless, you’ll be winning for Best Actor next time.’

Ben grinned. ‘Is that so?’

She nodded. ‘My influence on you means it will be done. As karmic retribution for making me insanely happy, you will be the happy recipient of an academy award.’

‘I wish I could kiss you.’

‘You could, Poe and Kaydel aren’t looking.’

He chuckled. ‘What about Finn and Rose?’

Rey shrugged and leaned towards him though they were swiftly interrupted by several senior actors, who were hellbent on talking to the both of them.

They offered commiserations to Ben, who took them gladly, finding himself not absolutely distraught about losing. It felt more like a stepping stone than anything. When the conversation eventually divulged on the personal, it seemed a crowd had begun to gather.

Nobody had thought that the ever-brooding Ben Solo would ever date, let alone date the shining starlet that was Rey Niima. A few of the older actors and actresses – particularly those who had known his grandfather and were still frequent guests of his mother – informed him that his Leia Organa was indeed in attendance, a fact which seemed to fill Rey with a worrying amount of excitement.

Eventually when they were ushered out of the theatre, Rey was ready to march around in search of the eminent veteran actress, who had taken time out of her appearances at various charity and benefit balls to see whether her son could follow in his family’s footsteps with his first Oscar.

Ben considered that perhaps she had left when he hadn’t won. It wasn’t as if his relationship with his mother was poor, they just had unavoidable differences, one of which was wholly creative.

 _Shades of Grey_ had been a cruel human study on the sadistic mind of a serial killer. It stretched almost toward horror in some elements, which his mother felt was highly irregular for an Academy Award-level film.

If she knew that Rey had sent him the screenplay–one which she utterly detested–he was sure that it would have led to a fight between him and his mother, with Rey caught in the middle.

His uncle had thought differently, but then his uncle had, had his bouts with mainstream cinema. He’d spent the majority of the 80s playing action stars or sci-fi villains, because he thought it was fun. The concept of an academy award seemed less like a goal and just an interesting happening.

Ben’s mother still shook her head every time she saw Luke’s academy award for his ten-minute supporting role as an incredibly sinister villain in a Bond flick. It had been unprecedented, and Ben could only describe his mother’s reaction as an over-exaggeration. It took her an entire week of convalescence, while his uncle and father used their awards to play ring toss in the hallway.

‘I think getting your award engraved is far more important than looking for my mother.’

Rey frowned, narrowing her eyes at him. ‘Do you not want me to meet her?’

‘You can see her outside of this ceremony, in a normal scenario.’

‘Why would I do that?’

Ben sighed, but let Rey drag him through the halls, listening as she inquired as to the whereabouts of Leia Organa.

Eventually they found her chatting at one of the bars with Caluan Ematt, balanced precariously on a stool, and a gin and tonic in her manicured grip.

She immediately held her arms open for Ben as they approached, and he stepped into her span, kissing her cheek as she hugged him tightly. Her eyes dropped to Rey and she grinned.

Ben sensed that perhaps she approved of Rey winning at the very least.

‘Rey Niima, what a joy to meet you,’ Leia began, placing her glass down and gripping the young woman’s hands in both of hers.

Caluan took this opportunity to exit and he slinked off to most likely frighten a few fresh-to-the-Oscars actors with his presence.

‘It’s wonderful to meet you too Ms Organa, I’ve been a fan of your work ever since I was a child. _Resistance_ is the movie that convinced me never to give up acting.’

Leia grinned. ‘You know that’s my favourite and it’s utterly underappreciated. Completely robbed at the awards that year. Ben can tell you that I was an absolute mess.’

‘I was three, mother, I can barely remember’ he murmured.

She shook her head. ‘Just nod along Ben, it’s much easier.

Rey chuckled lightly, holding tightly onto Leia’s hands.

‘You should call me Leia, by the way.’

‘I thought you’d be in a direr mood, considering _Shades of Grey_ won Best Picture.’ Ben commented.

Rey raised an eyebrow and Leia sighed lightly.

‘I had a few rounds with Scorsese and he convinced me to give it another watch. I suppose it is passable. It isn’t the worst thing that has won.’

‘You didn’t like _Shades of Grey_?’ Rey questioned, glancing back at Ben.

Leia shook her head. ‘Each to their own, I suppose.’

Ben huffed and then his mother’s eyes were on him again. ‘What on earth did you do to convince such a lovely young lady, such a promising actress at the beginning of her ascension, at the inception of her climb, to come to the Oscars with you?’

‘I told her I love her,’ Ben answered.

Leia blinked and paused, seeming to take in her son’s passive expression and then looked to Rey, who stood awkwardly, wondering how to handle Leia’s abrupt personality. Ben waited for his mother, knowing that the best way to get through to her was honesty without pretence.

‘And that worked, dear?’

Rey glanced up, assuming Leia was speaking of her by the soft tone her voice had suddenly taken. She looked to Ben who was looking down at her and Leia’s hands jostled hers lightly.

‘Those letters...those things around your house, were they from Rey?’ Leia asked gingerly, a small smile on her face.

Ben nodded, and Leia grinned.

‘I was under the impression that my son had numerous fans, but it seemed he just had one.’

‘That’s hardly fair, I have fa—.’

Leia waved his answer away and she smiled warmly at Rey. ‘I’m glad you got through to him eventually. He is an incredibly difficult man, who thinks far too deeply about simple things and far too flippantly about the difficult questions.’

Rey smiled finally and nodded. ‘He wouldn’t give me the time of day for a whole year, yet he’ll pick his projects after reading the first line of a script.’

Ben rolled his eyes. ‘That is a Hollywood myth, I read at least the first twenty pages.’

Leia chuckled and surprisingly to both young actors, reached to her son’s cheek and pinched it softly. ‘Never change, Ben.’ The older woman picked up her cocktail then and slid from her stool, dropping to below both of their heights. ‘One request, Ms Niima. When you’re picking Ben’s next screenplay, have _Resistance_ in mind.’

Rey merely nodded and grinned while the pair of them watched Leia saunter away, cocktail in hand and ready to converse with the young and impressionable.

‘Your uncle not here today then?’

‘Are you looking to make this a family affair, or just to get into the good graces of everyone in my family?’

Rey chuckled and folded their fingers together. ‘Knowing how you expertly avoid and ignore people, I wouldn’t be surprised to meet your uncle at the ceremony of our wedding.’

‘Our wedding?’

She clucked her tongue. ‘Do you think I’d willingly date Ben Solo without the intention of marriage? I’ve already got the reality TV empire planned out for the Solo-Skywalker dynasty. We will rule the entertainment world together.’

Ben laughed, scratching the back of his neck with his spare hand. ‘Let’s just get your award engraved. I don’t want you getting carried away and chartering a jet to Vegas.’

‘I think Poe and Kaydel would tackle us if we even thought about doing that. I wouldn’t recommend elopement as being the bread and butter of a positive image.’

‘Are you trying to rub off on me?’ Ben asked as they entered the engraving room.

Rey simply smiled and stood in line, clutching Ben's hand tightly.

They both watched the award be engraved, Rey’s face far too close to the engraver’s hands that he had to pause and clear his throat as a warning. Ben felt a little bit jealous as other winners approached them to congratulate Rey, but easily smiled along, helped by Rey's elbows in his side. It was also beneficial as she would give him a quick kiss when he smiled with teeth.

Kaydel and Poe eventually came to collect them, both looking exhausted. They seemed to find the state of the two actors satisfactory, so just hustled them out of the engraving suite to conduct more interviews.

The interviews had been arranged last minute, and the pair knew it was likely that social media was going crazy about their relationship. Kaydel and Poe still wanted them to say very little, and Kaydel’s fingers moved like lightning over her phone’s keypad, amending a press release drafted by her intern at the office and giving it the okay once Poe had seen it.

‘Any good news then?’ Ben queried Poe, half serious.

The publicist sighed and gestured to the 150 emails he had received during the ceremony.

‘There are at least five requests for magazine cover stories and a pre-emptive sponsorship deal.’

Ben chuckled. ‘With who?’

‘Calvin Klein.’

The actor's brows rose, and Poe nodded, seemingly not believing it either.

Kaydel barged into the conversation then. ‘Ah yes. Leeching off the image of my client already.’

Poe snorted.

Rey was still mid interview, waving her statuette to the camera, and in Ben’s opinion, thankfully away from the bickering pair.

‘As if you wouldn't benefit too, darling.’

‘Not if they broke up. You know the man always fairs better in a breakup.’

Poe rolled his eyes and Ben frowned, injecting himself into the conversation. ‘We're not going to break up.’

Kaydel sighed and went back to typing on her phone. ‘Unrealistic visions of the future, the both of you are the same,’ she mumbled.

‘You are a bright ray of sunshine, Kaydel. What would we do without your sparkling personality?’ Poe chimed, receiving a glare from the blonde. ‘I'm sure you'll change your tune when Rey gets that sponsorship money.’

Ben looked over at Rey, wishing she were by his side, so he could leave this argument between the publicists.

‘You are so horribly crass, Poe.’

‘You should both hope that Rey doesn’t actually follow through on running away to join a cruise ship acting group.’

Kaydel’s head snapped to Ben, absolute fear in her eyes while Poe started to laugh. Ben decided to move through the gap between the two of them and he met Rey’s quick approach as she waved goodbye to the interviewer.

Rey’s hand smoothed against his jaw and she planted a too-brief kiss against his lips, smiling widely when she pulled away.

‘I may have said something that I shouldn’t have,’ she whispered between them.

Ben’s brow rose. ‘Did you speak about me?’

Rey nodded and chuckled. ‘I think the statue got me carried away,’ she murmured, and Ben could feel the heavy weight of it against his waist where it rested in her grip. ‘I told them that I loved you.’ Her thumb stroked against his cheek. ‘And that being with you is like winning an academy award every day.’

His sigh was one of relief and his eyes were warm as he looked down at her. ‘That’s not the worst thing you could have said.’

She shook her head, leaning further towards Ben until he could feel the small swell of her chest against his.

‘You could have told them that our little romance isn’t consummated,’ he gave as an example.

Rey grinned. ‘I could have, and that definitely would have been worse.’ Her hand slipped from his jaw to his shoulder and then his chest, causing her to lean back slightly. ‘Though I suppose because of your lack of social media presence, you won’t notice when we eventually go viral tomorrow.’

Ben nodded, holding her gaze easily, hating that they were still stuck in this theatre, hating that they still had responsibilities for the next few hours. ‘I’m hoping I’ll have you distracted.’

‘Let’s not get interrupted this time.’

Rey’s hands dropped to his suit button, undoing it and sliding her hand beneath it and around his waist. Her fingers crawled up his spine over his shirt and Ben licked his lips, restraining himself from doing what he wanted; which was to kiss her until the two of them were struggling for breath.

‘Okay, that’s enough,’ Poe interrupted, clearly keeping himself from dragging Ben away as usual.

Ben smiled briefly at Rey, before stepping back and buttoning his suit jacket back up. ‘I’ll see you at the party,’ he murmured, as Poe finally pulled an arm through his, dragging him towards the lobby where the bulk of the regular press was. Rey still had to complete several winner photoshoots and interviews at the behest of the Academy, so stayed behind with a brief frown.

‘I have the distinct impression that the two of you are going to ruin my life,’ Poe murmured, rubbing his temples.

Interspersed with Poe feeding him a protein bar, a packet of goji berries and then giving him a piece of gum, Ben had several more interviews about his upcoming projects, and was finally led out to the cars outside with little fanfare.

‘Lewis will take you to Vanity Fair, but I’m off. Enjoy the rest of the night Ben and for the love of god, don’t fuck up.’

‘When have I ever fucked up?’ Ben asked as he slid into the door held open by his driver.

Poe glared at the man, and Ben poignantly knew he was recalling the first two years of Ben’s career, where he took a lot of liberties when it came to alcohol, unknown women and the poor influence of the assholes he had grown up with in Beverly Hills. A public ass-kicking from his uncle had sorted that out, though it had set fire to his relationship with his family for a good five years, which had eventually sorted itself out due to the stubborn efforts of his mother.

While Poe did not follow Ben around at every event, it did often feel a little strange being at public events without him on the side-lines somewhere. Though the Vanity Fair after party was not exactly a mandatory event, it did require some finessing when it came to contacts, a topic that was constantly reiterated in his ear by his talent manager and which he hated.

Ben doubted Kaydel would leave Rey to it, just because the woman was far more willing to hold Rey’s hands through things. Perhaps because Rey’s image wasn’t the shambles that Ben’s had always been.

When the car left Poe behind and they eventually pulled up to the after party, Ben checked himself in the mirror a few more times before sending Lewis a goodbye and pulling himself from the car.

He was met by flashes as he walked the second carpet of the night, smiling briefly and waving to the cameras. It seemed there was some general disappointment as he hadn’t arrived with Rey.

There was a glass of champagne in his hand as he was coaxed into the temporary shelter that had been built for the party and he managed to find some familiar faces immediately, deciding to keep his appearance relatively short.

An hour passed with him constantly looking about him for his girlfriend when he felt a hand on his elbow and there she was, as radiant as ever, a glass of red in her hands and her lips stained a deeper colour than before.

‘Kaydel left me to my devices. I think she gave up,’ Rey managed over the noise.

She led him away from the main area and through an open partition into the actual permanent building of the Wallis Annenberg Center. It was down a hallway towards the bathrooms where they stopped, everything much quieter here.

‘That’s better,’ she said, closing her eyes tightly.

‘How were the interviews?’ he asked, sighing as he brushed a curl over her shoulder.

Rey shrugged lightly. ‘Really long, though they gave us a break to eat before the photoshoot. Canapes, though.’

Ben grinned. ‘How many did you eat while Kaydel’s back was turned?’

The young woman chuckled, closing her lips tightly. Then she brought her glass towards her mouth again and finished the final dredges of the alcoholic beverage before placing the glass on a nearby table.

Rey seemed ready to say something, but instead she shook her head and leaned towards Ben, her arms pulling him closer to her as she kissed him. He was ready to pull away, though she held him resolutely, gently sucking his bottom lip into her mouth and leading him to deepen their kiss, their tongues tentatively greeting.

His back hit the wall beside them roughly and Ben huffed, laughing. They were barely away from the crowds, so taking a glance about him, he took Rey’s hand in his and pulled her down the corridor, bypassing the attended bathrooms and towards the darkening parts of the Center.

The doors were all locked, though the darkness was enough to embolden Rey as she unbuttoned his jacket and slid her hands around Ben’s waist, joining their lips again.

Ben melted under her touch, no resistance to what she wanted as they kissed, and her fingers slipped to his belt buckle to loosen it. He was hard, and he couldn’t say he wasn’t at least on the cusp of it whenever he was with her. Though here he was, his stiff length fighting the seams of his tailored pants.

Despite his hands indecisively climbing from her waist and hips to her neck, it was impossible for them to do anything more than kiss considering the floor length dress she was wearing, that was almost glued to her torso with how it hugged her.

‘I want to take this dress off you,’ he moaned.

Rey chuckled against his throat. ‘You’ll have to wait until we’re back at the hotel.’

He groaned, ready to pull away, though Rey continued on pulling at the zip of his trousers, while Ben watched her, unsure of what to say exactly.

Their eyes met again, and she kissed him once more, her lipstick a smudge of red wine, before she lifted the small part of her dress that was movable due to the split that went to her knees, and she knelt gently, careful not to harm the expensive gown.

Ben’s mouth dropped open when she pulled the elastic of his briefs down and freed him, eyeing his cock with interest.

‘It’s okay, right?’ she queried briefly, looking up at him.

He looked around, swallowing, wondering how this could tank their careers if a journalist or photographer happened to be nosing around the space. The nod he gave her was there, however, and Ben’s head hit the wall behind him as she licked his slit, cleaning away the precum he knew had beaded there.

‘Fuck,’ he groaned. ‘God that feels good.’

Rey chuckled, her breath blowing across the sensitive skin of his head. Ben twitched, and her warm hands were over him then, a thumb tracing the thick vein at the underside of his cock, her hand tugging gently to uncover the head of his penis, while her tongue swirled at the exposed skin.

His hands yearned to grab at her hair, though he knew they still had to pass at least ten photographers to leave, and he didn’t want to mess her hair up as well as her makeup. Instead his hands were in fists against the wall beside him, groaning while Rey panted around him.

She took him deeper then, her hands taking position closer to the base of his shaft, one hand massaging his balls gently, making him see stars. He absently thrusted further into her mouth and her free hand grabbed against his hip to catch her bearings as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

Rey made a noise that sounded distinctly like when she ate something delicious, and Ben was frustrated he couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t give her anything from his position against the wall, towering over her as she knelt for him.

Her tongue licked, her hands pumped, she noisily sucked and fondled him, and Ben barely held on for a full minute before he grunted out his orgasm, wanting to pull away from Rey as he spilled inside of her mouth, though she held his hips resolutely.

‘Let’s go now,’ she murmured as she stood without Ben’s assistance, licking her lips, straightening her dress and adjusting the tassels.

Ben looked at her as if she had said the world were ending, and he was unable to comment as she tucked him back into his underwear and pants, zipped, buttoned and buckled him back up. There was still cum on her lower lip and her eyes were watery when she met his wide eyes. She flushed a deep red at his expression and then noticed the fluid still on her face and wiped it with her finger, slipping the digit into her mouth afterwards.

‘I did not expect that.’

Rey chuckled and started to turn, looking back at Ben with a raised eyebrow. ‘Life is full of unexpected things, Benjamin, don’t seem so surprised.’

‘I think anyone would be surprised if Rey Niima gave them a blowjob at the Vanity Fair after party.’

She snorted, and reached out for his hand, waiting for his mind to start working again. ‘I think you’re forgetting that I’m not simply Rey Niima, I am also your exceptionally horny girlfriend, Ben.’

‘I suppose we should rectify that, then.’ Ben murmured, taking her hand eventually.

They broke apart for long enough for Rey to go to the bathroom and neaten up her makeup. The attendant was kind enough to give her a replacement tube of lipstick and Rey was able to give her the sole $100 bill that she had tucked away beneath the strap of her dress, held securely with a gold pin.

It took fifteen minutes before the two had been able to navigate through the Vanity Fair guests to get to the main exit where chauffeured cars waited for instruction. There were several more photos taken before they were comfortably sat in the back of a car, their fingers folded together, and Rey’s small purse and academy award collected from the lock-up and lying beside her.

The decision to head to Rey’s hotel room had been made before they’d even stepped into the car and they spoke quietly between themselves, making plans for the next day, the next month, the next year even.

Ben’s smile was huge when Rey spoke about finally getting a house in LA, though she was adamant that Ben had to promise to go to London with her when he could. Her fingers combed through his hair when she spoke about her currently empty July, and whether his was also empty. He decided that even if it wasn’t, he would clear it for her.

They hadn’t realised the journey to the hotel would be so short until the chauffeur was clearing his throat, bringing them back to the present. Rey took up her things, letting Ben help her from the car, walk her through the entrance of the hotel and towards the elevators.

A comfortable silence blanketed them both, the two smiling as they stood side by side. It was little time before they were in Rey’s hotel suite, Ben pulling gently at the zip on the back of her dress and helping her hang it up in the garment bag.

Her jewellery came next, each piece placed back into its allotted box and then locked away in the hotel safe for a jeweller to collect the next day.

The heels, however, could be discarded in the entrance way, gifted with several curse-words from their owner.

When Rey finally stood in nothing but her underwear, Ben moved to remove his own clothes, letting them drop to the floor beside him. His bowtie, jacket, shirt and the vest beneath it. Rey happily went to unbuckle his trousers again, seeming to like the action of it, perhaps due to the proximity to his crotch. With every brush of her fingers, Ben’s reaction was clear to her, and she seemed fascinated in watching him grow harder before her eyes.

‘I love you,’ she said happily, her arms around his neck as his hands settled on her waist.

Ben nodded, his forehead resting against hers. ‘Me too.’ He hummed appreciatively as she pressed closer to him. ‘Now I will finally have you naked.’

Rey chuckled, and Ben’s hands slid up her back, reaching to the clasp of her strapless bra, undoing it and letting it drop to the floor beside them as Rey stepped back, freeing his neck. Her curls barely grazed the dusky tips of her breasts and Ben bent down, his thumbs flicking the stiff peaks and leaving a kiss against her sternum. Muted laughter erupted from her again.

‘Ticklish?’

‘No,’ she replied, Ben knowing almost immediately that she was lying.

He grinned, deciding to tuck that information away for a later date and instead straightened up a little and connected their lips, still distantly taste himself on her lips and groaning at the memory. He cupped and massaged her breasts, and Rey panted and squirmed as he did.

She split herself over his thigh and Ben could feel her rub herself against it, trying to ease her own arousal as they kissed.

A hand dropped from her chest and slipped into the front of her damp underwear, his fingers quickly covered with her slick as he touched her gently. Rey jerked in his arms, their kiss turning breathy as she lost concentration and her knees began to buckle underneath her.

He lowered his fingers, finding her entrance and his middle finger dipped lightly into her as he twisted her nipple between finger and thumb. Their kiss broke then, and Rey’s eyes opened, meeting his as her chest heaved. His finger sunk deeper and she sucked in a breath. Ben’s arm dropped to surround her waist, holding her tightly against him as he added another appendage, beginning to pump his fingers into her slowly as the base of his palm rubbed against her clit.

Rey closed her eyes, breathing heavily and moaning softly, her head eventually resting against Ben’s shoulder. He pulled away a moment later and his hand slipped from within her panties to wrap around her thighs and lift her before dropping her carefully onto the large bed.

She reached for him, ready to kiss him again, though Ben pulled at her underwear instead, slipping it from her legs and tucking the slip of material into his trouser pocket. Rey seemed amused by the action, though did not comment as he arranged himself below her, his head between her legs.

Fingers pulled at his hair as he left kisses against Rey’s swelling and slick centre. He licked at her loudly, though not as loudly as Rey’s groans and high-pitched sighs of approval. Ben sucked softly at her clit, before tracing her entrance and labia with his tongue. She shuddered under him, her arousal not waning and a steady supply of her slick mixing with his saliva.

Rey’s grip grew tighter and her legs began to squirm as Ben sped up his movements until he felt her still beneath him and a choked exhale left her. He slowed, cleaning her delicately and then eventually stopped, looking up at her. Their eyes met, and Rey smiled, calling him to get closer to her.

Her arms wrapped around him as they kissed.

‘How am I going to be able to tolerate being away from you for more than twenty-four hours?’ she questioned.

Ben sighed, his thumbs rubbing circles into her hip bones. ‘Don’t remind me.’

Rey frowned and pulled away from him, rolling off the bed. Ben watched her as she sifted through her suitcase, bent over so that he had a full view.

‘Take off your trousers and underwear,’ she requested.

He did so, dropping them over the side of the bed, relieved that his eager erection was no longer confined. Ben couldn’t resist gently palming himself as he watched Rey sift through her case.

The groan that slipped from his lips made Rey turn and she grinned, seeing his hand wrapped around himself.

‘You’re so impatient.’

Ben shook his head. ‘Your fault. Please come back over here.’

Rey chuckled and eventually found what she was looking for, bounding back over to the bed with a strip of condoms in her hand.

He leaned forward, though Rey straddled his thighs, tearing into the packet and removing a condom. His hands slipped to her waist and he sat up.

Ben swallowed as she gripped his cock gently and rolled the condom over him. Rey leaned further over him, kissing him gently, his erection poking her stomach and throbbing against her skin. She lifted from his legs and Ben adjusted himself as she sunk down over him, steadily bringing him into her warmth, only barely dulled by the latex of the condom.

When she was fully seated over him and testing out her hold on him, clenching around him until Ben squirmed, she grinned, her knees digging into the soft quilt and mattress as she pressed every line of their bodies together.

His lips moved to her neck, sucking gently on her clavicle and throat, allowing them both to become accustomed to what they both knew would become a common state. When Rey fidgeted, Ben’s hands dropped from her waist and he squeezed her ass, letting her roll gently over him.

Rey gradually moved over Ben, lifting off him to bounce gently back down, her arms draped around his shoulders, while his hands squeezed the soft skin of her waist, ass and thighs.

One hand slid to her lower back and then the other to her thigh as Ben turned them, so Rey was on her back and she reached for him as he pushed into her, caught in the secure hold of her legs, pinned by her crossed ankles.

She canted in earnest, her pants peppered by sharp inhalations and Ben’s forehead rested against her shoulder, groaning as everything that mattered suddenly became her. One arm held him up, so he didn’t crush Rey, while the other palmed her breast roughly.

Rey’s back arched into him and Ben looked at her, raising his head from her shoulder to see her pupils blown wide and her mouth slightly parted. He pressed their lips together again, struggling to kiss her properly with every thrust, until they were exchanging breaths more than kisses. She sighed against him and he felt her tighten around his length, and he slowed down, wanting this to last longer.

‘Ben,’ she said softly, barely above a whisper, and then louder and louder. He smiled hearing his own name, finding that the single syllable was enthused with how Rey felt about him, and how he felt about her.

She cried out, her legs tightening around him and her walls convulsing as she peaked, and Ben followed soon after, moaning loudly into Rey’s shoulder as he filled the condom and all but collapsed over her. She seemed to like his weight over her and clutched him tightly to her.

‘How long do I have you for?’ she asked, her fingers combing through his limp waves. Ben looked at her, transferring some of his weight onto the bed, and Rey turning slightly on her side to compensate.

He sighed, his breathing heavy. ‘A week? I’ll be in Atlanta for a month, then New York for the rest of the spring.’

Rey nodded, pushing his hair away from his forehead. ‘How do you feel about me checking out of this hotel and checking into your house for the rest of the week, then?’

He grinned, pulling her into his arms. ‘I like that idea.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dress I imagined for Rey is somewhat like Emma Stone's 2018 Academy Awards dress. It was such a lovely gold number, that I couldn't resist envisioning it, but far far more gold. Like as gold as the award itself. 
> 
> Thanks and buh-bye.


End file.
